Photo for The Union by Cory Fisher
Grass Valley pediatric dentist Dr. Lindsey Robinson fills a cavity for 6-year-old Alyssa Hall. Robinson is the president-elect of the California Dental Association, the third woman to hold the position since the association was founded in 1870.

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Most Nevada County families know Dr. Lindsey Robinson as the children’s dentist with the castle and patients’ upside-down televisions in her office.

But her colleagues know her professional credentials go well beyond her child-friendly office.

On Nov. 11, Robinson will be installed as the president of the California Dental Association, the largest statewide dental association in the country, boasting nearly 25,000 members. The CDA represents more than 70 percent of dentists practicing in the state and has the single largest membership in the American Dental Association.

“It’s a real honor and tremendous responsibility,” said Robinson, who was elected by her peers. “California is the bellwether for the rest of the country. Other states look to the CDA for emerging issues.”

Robinson has maintained a full-time pediatric dental practice in Grass Valley for the past 16 years.

“It’s unbelievably rewarding to work with children, teach them oral health and know they’ve developed the skills to take care of themselves,” she said. “But it’s hard when they grow up and have to leave the practice. I recently said goodbye to two patients, ages 18 and 20. We cried.”

Former patient Cheri Hall — who was in Robinson’s office Monday while her 6-year-old step-daughter was getting a cavity filled — echoed those sentiments.

“I came to Dr. Robinson my whole life, until I was 19,” she said. “It was sad when I became too old to come here. I loved going to the dentist, and now my step-daughter does too.”

Throughout her career, Robinson says she has taken seriously her responsibility to society and fellow members of the profession. In addition to adherence to the CDA’s principles of ethics and a code of professional conduct, Robinson has served widely within her field.

Among other positions held, Robinson was recently president of the California Society of Pediatric Dentistry. She also served as the American Dental Association’s liaison to the American Academy of Pediatrics and is a founding board member of the U.S. National Oral Health Alliance. Having formerly served as the chair of the CDA Foundation — the philanthropic arm of the organization — Robinson has been working actively to address the growing epidemic of the under-served. The CDA has emerged as a leading advocate for the Affordable Care Act, which is projected to provide first-time dental coverage for literally millions of children by 2014.

Despite her extensive experience and professional leadership duties, Robinson says she never loses her passion for working daily with children. And it shows.

“Dr. Robinson was my dentist for 19 years, and she would always sing while she was cleaning my teeth,” said Hall. “That was very soothing — that and the upside-down TVs.”